How to properly grow and care for thyme (thyme) at home in a pot

Many housewives grow thyme at home in a pot. This plant is considered an excellent spice, which is often used in cooking during the preparation of various dishes. Before planting thyme, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of planting and growing it in an apartment.

Can you grow thyme in a pot?

Many people are interested in whether it is possible to grow spices at home. Thyme is great for growing indoors, as it is not too fussy and does not require special care. Therefore, even inexperienced people who have never grown thyme can cope with planting and growing spices.

To plant, simply select a suitable container for the spice, plant it and place it in a well-lit room. When growing a plant in an apartment, you will have to periodically water it so that the soil does not dry out and feed it with fertilizers.

Suitable varieties

Before planting, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the most suitable varieties of plants that can be planted at home. These include:

• Common thyme. This low-growing spice variety grows up to 5–7 cm in height and is therefore ideal for growing indoors. The ripe spice can be harvested at the end of August.
• Creeping thyme. The variety is low-growing and grows during ripening to 10–15 cm in height. The bush blooms in mid-summer, after which fruits form on it.
• Citric. This is a universal variety that can be planted both indoors and outdoors. Adult bushes grow to 15–18 cm 3–4 weeks after planting. Used for cooking and as room decoration.

Choosing a place for indoor thyme

Some inexperienced housewives pay little attention to choosing a suitable place for planting, as they believe that the spice will grow in any room. However, this is not the case and therefore you should familiarize yourself with the features of choosing the best place to plant thyme.

Lighting

Thyme is considered a light-loving plant that grows best in full sun.It is recommended to place the pot with the plant on windowsills that are well lit by the sun. If the spice is planted in winter, you will have to take care of additional lighting and install special lamps.

Air temperature and humidity

Thyme grows best in cool rooms with an air temperature no higher than 20 degrees Celsius. In the fall, you can take the pot out onto the glassed-in balcony during the day and bring it into the apartment only in the evening, after sunset. In winter, you cannot take the spice out onto the balcony, as it will die from the low temperature.

Preparing to plant thyme at home

Growing thyme is not so difficult, especially if you familiarize yourself with the features of preparing for planting it. It is recommended to take care in advance about the optimal conditions for planting the spice, the container for planting and suitable soil.

Choosing a container for planting

Preparation for planting begins with choosing the optimal container for planting and growing spices in the apartment. Some people use plastic cups or plastic flower pots for this. However, such containers are not very suitable for growing thyme. The best choice is clay pots, which greatly simplify the further process of planting plants in other containers.

When choosing a pot, it is recommended to pay attention to its depth. It should be deepened by 10–15 cm, since this is the depth that is considered suitable. In deeper containers, the spice will grow much worse and longer.

What should the soil be like for planting?

In order for thyme to grow well at home, you need to take care of the soil mixture.To grow spices, balanced and fertile soil is selected, which contains useful microelements. The soil must be porous so that water and air can penetrate into it better. The acidity level of the soil should not be higher than 6–7 pH.

To create a soil mixture, you will need to prepare turf soil or regular garden soil in advance. Then organic fertilizers in the form of eggshells, peat and humus are added to it. To make thyme grow faster, turf ash is added to the ground.

Inorganic components are also added to the soil, which will increase productivity. It is recommended to mix the soil with washed sand so that it becomes looser and absorbs moisture better. To prevent rotting of the root system, perlite is added to the ground.

How to plant thyme at home?

There are several common methods for planting thyme. To grow spices in an apartment, plants are planted using cuttings or seeds. To choose the most suitable landing method for yourself, you should familiarize yourself with each of them in more detail.

From seeds

Most often, the spice is planted by seeds, as it is easier. To do this, pour the soil mixture mixed with vermiculite into previously prepared containers, which improves moisture retention in the soil. Then the soil in the containers is watered with warm water and holes are made in the ground. Place 2-3 seeds in each hole and cover them with soil. The planted plants are transferred to the windowsill and watered regularly. When the first shoots appear in the pots, they are thinned out for better growth.

From cuttings

Some people prefer to propagate thyme bushes using cuttings. First you need to start preparing cuttings for planting.After the end of thyme flowering, shoots are cut from the bush and completely cleared of leaves. The often cut off shoot will become a cutting, which is planted in a pot.

Planting thyme cuttings in the ground is quite simple. To do this, the pots are completely covered with soil and depressions 1–2 cm deep are made in it. Then the shoots are placed in the holes and sprinkled with soil. The planted cuttings are watered after 1–2 days until the first leaves appear on them.

Caring for thyme on the windowsill

In order for young seedlings to grow quickly, they will have to be properly cared for. During care, each bush will have to be periodically watered and the soil loosened. Also, when leaving, you need to periodically monitor the amount of light in the room and the air temperature.

If the spice dries out with regular watering, you will have to feed it. To do this, organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil.

Thyme bushes need periodic pruning to remove excess shoots. This procedure is carried out with small sharp scissors in the first half of spring. During pruning, a third of the shoots are cut off from the plants.

Harvesting

At the final stage of the thyme life cycle, the ripe crop is harvested. To do this, all shoots with leaves are carefully cut off with a knife. It is recommended to carry out the procedure in the second half of summer, when flowers appear on all plants. The harvest collected during this period is considered the most aromatic and therefore it is best to use it for cooking. All collected spices should be stored in an airtight container so that the rays of the sun do not enter it.

Conclusion

Thyme is considered one of the most common spices and is therefore often grown by housewives.Before planting and growing this plant, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the features planting and caring for thyme.